LET THE WITCH-HUNTERS EAT CAKE
Double, double, toil and trouble: hunting season’s back upon us
By Patrick Nash for SecEd : 29 January 2009
Yet again, its time
for the sinister swathes of incompetent teachers hiding amongst the midst of
our helpless children to conceal their true forms, let the shining light of
tabloid justice pass by their classroom windows and leave their cruel misdeeds
unexposed. Yes folks, the infamous ‘15,000’ statistic, originally issued by
Chris Woodhead, one-time Artemis of the modern witch-hunt, is back to instigate
the end of the wicked purveyors of classroom ineptitude quicker than a Kansan
émigré’s wayward water pail.
The former
Chief Inspector of School’s notoriously dubious tally of ineffectual teachers
originally came in Ofsted’s 1999 annual report but it’s been recently rehashed.
Some of our friends in the media pointed out that just 10 teachers have been
struck off from their positions in the decade since Woodhead’s numerical misdiagnosis.
They imply that this figure results from systematic failure, caused partly by
the shortage of cases referred to the GTC, partly by the fact that so few of
such cases have been removed: not, under any circumstances, because the discredited
15k statistic was a spectacular exaggeration.
The
continued citation of Woodhead’s approximation continues to cast a dark shadow
over education; sowing suspicion within school communities and creating
needless divisions within the sector. The expression ‘witch hunt’ of course
originates from the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and I think we can tease out
some similarities here: entirely subjective interpretations of offence and
justice; the destructive frustration borne of thwarted hysteria; indicters
motivated by their own preservation and advancement through the continual
identification of new sinners and the preservation of moral outrage. Back in
seventeenth century Massachusetts, the process of finding offenders
sometimes involved the investigators cooking cake made from rye meal and urine.
Although this element of Salem’s story may not have a modern equivalent,
I’m sure some teachers would be happy if the recipe was shared with some of
their more prominent detractors.
Where the
analogy really falls down, of course, is that although we know now that Sarah
Good et al were the victims of hysterics, not clandestine sorcerers, nobody
would try and deny that inadequate teaching can occur, albeit on a infinitely
less common basis than that suggested by Woodhead’s not-so magical number.
Every industry contains those ill-matched to their trade. Teaching is of course
amongst the most highly-skilled professions in the country, but if individuals
are not suited to the classroom, they should be supported in their transition
to another job; not publicly victimised and hounded out of their schools. Teachers
need continuous training on their jobs and most crave the opportunity to
constantly improve their skills.
What’s
more, poor teaching is most likely to be caused by the tremendous pressures of
the job and, all too often, the lack of support for teachers within their schools.
A culture of naming and shaming, of schools or individuals, doesn’t help
improve standards of education; it merely causes distress to teachers and
communities and unjustly sullies an extraordinarily honourable profession. We
know from our support services that teachers who are in need of assistance,
particularly those who feel under insurmountable pressure and whose performance
is being affected, find it impossible to seek help within a school culture – or
educational system – that is created by the dogmatic and misguided pursuit of
rogue teachers; a hysterical witch-hunt based on discredited arithmetic.
However, real improvements would be seen if government and schools ensured the
implementation of working policies that helped teachers deal with stress and
other common mental health problems.
A
widespread passion for improving standards in schools is a good thing. Let’s
hope that those who share teachers’ fervour for education realise that the
wellbeing of teachers is crucial to their cause. However, if detractors keep
pointing the finger at teachers themselves, fetch me some rye meal and preheat
the oven: I’m off to bake a cake.